Method and apparatus for producing ornamental multicolored designs



Oct. 18, 1949. E. H. SCHWARTZ 2,485,323

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ORNAMENTAL MULTICOLORED DESIGNS FiledDec. 21, 1943 COLORED Momma MAT'L.

a 0515:? we: covEREp 16" mm ossmu .Duc-rs FOR CARRYING COOLING, HEATINGon CURING msmum.

LINES wrm ENT COLORED momma MATERIALS, UNDER mm HEATED IFNECESSARY.

NETWOFK FORM/N6 OUTLINE OF DESIGN MOLDING ecw 1494 V Sabra/Q2, 1N VENTOR.

Patented Oct. 18, 1949 UNITED STATES.

ATENT OFFICE METHOD AND APPARA ORNAMENTAL MULT TUS FOR PRODUCINGICOLORED DESIGNS 3 Claims. 1

My invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for producingornamental designs with molding material.

An object of the invention is to provide a method whereby a multicoloredbas-relief, fiat or mosaic design, picture or color combination may beproduced.

Another object is to provide such a method for producing such a design,picture or color combination that lends itself readily to massproduction.

Another object is to provide a method that saves time and labor andrequires a minimum of skill in producing such a design, picture or colorcombination.

Another object is to provide such a method that is simple andinexpensive to practice;

A further object is to provide such a method that produces a lustrousdesign of various colors.

My improved method will be better understood by the description thereofto follow taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in whichFig. 1 is a plan view showing a plate having a design or picture on itssurface produced in ac-. cordance with my improved method.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of a modified form of plate or framemember adapted to be used with my improved method and having a designproduced thereon in accordance with my improved method.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the plate and design shown in Fig. 1taken on the plane of the line AA of Fig. 1 and looking in the directionof the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of another modified form of plate orframe member adapted to be used with my improved method and having adesign thereon.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a plate similar to the plate of Fig.3 but having a fiat or mosaic design instead of a raised design.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of one form of mold apparatus adaptedto be used in practicing my improved method.

Fig. '7 is a cross-sectional view of another form of mold apparatusadapted to be used in practicing my improved method.

Fig. 8 is a detail view showing the reservoir and pipes leading to themold.

My improved method contemplates using moldable or plastic materials nowused in commerce, which materials come in various colors and also cometransparent or translucent or opaque.

In practicing my method, I preferably use a mold apparatus comprising amale mold or die member l0 encased in a movable frame It and a femalemold or die member l2 encased in a frame IS. The mold member II] has itsworking face or surface formed with depressions M defining a design orpicture. The mold member I2 is preferably formed with a curved face orsurface IE but may be flat or spherical. Placed against this curvedsurface I5 is a base plate or object [6. When the mold members I0 and I2are in operative position as shown in Fig. 6, the working face orsurface of the male member in is in engagement with the plate l6 and thedepressions in said member leave spaces or separate compartments I!between the two mold members or between the mold member and. plate.

Extending through openings in the female mold member l2 and alignedopenings in the base plate l6 are a plurality of tubes or pipe lines I8, a pipe line leading to each compartment or space between the diemembers. The pipe lines extend to a reservoir (not shown) containingsuitable molding or plastic material having separate compartments forthe various colored materials. For example, the lowermost pipe lineshown in Fig. 6 may extend to a compartment having blue coloredmaterial, the next pipe to a supply of green material, the next to asupply of brown, the next to a supply of red, the next to a supply ofgray and the top pipe to the green supply. The two pipe lines supplyingthe green material may of course lead or branch off to a main feed linecoming from the compartment having the green material. In this way, thespaced cavities are simultaneously supplied with the green material, forexample. It will also be understood that two difierent coloredmaterials, such as yellow and blue may be sent through a single pipeline and mixed to form a green color. The pipe lines may lead toseparate reservoirs or hoppers if desired.

The colored molding or 'plastic material is fed simultaneously from thereservoir into the pipes 18 preferably under pressure or heated ifnecessary to make it flow through the pipes.

The colored material I 9 is forced into the spaces or compartments untilit fills said compartments. The edge of the wall of the male mold memberdefining each depression touches the surface of the plate and therebyprevents the moldable material from flowing into the adjacent comparmentor space.

The plate or base or frame member l6 may have one of its surfaces coatedwith an adhesive before being inserted into the molds so that theinjected moldable material will adhere to said surface. The moldablematerial may also be attached to the surface of the plate by fusion, byforming said surface with interlocking ridges such as dovetails or thelike, and it may be attached by cohesion.

The mold members are held in operative position until the moltenmoldable material has set or hardens sufficiently when they are parted.The plate with the design attached to its surface is then ejected in anysuitable manner as by a tool, and if desired the openings in the platethrough which the moldable material was injected may be filled in in anydesired manner. The relieved part of the mold determines whether thedesign is flat, mosaic or bas-relief.

The mold frames II and i3 may be provided with ducts 20 for supplying acooling, heating or curing medium depending upon the properties of themoldable material'iised.

Any air that might become lodged in the compartments or spaces I1 andthat might interfere with the free flowing of the material or with theeffectiveness of the molding operation may be removed by suction orthrough vents Which can readily be provided.

It will be seen from the foregoing that a design or picture such asshown in Fig. 1 may readily be produced in great numbers as the moldablematerial is applied by an injection or jet process by machinery and notby hand, and that the resulting product or design is not dependent uponthe skill of the operator, and that all of the designs made from aparticular mold will be uniform in all respects.

Instead of having a solid base plate for supporting the design as shownin Figs. 1, 3 and 6, a base, ring, chase or frame member 21 as shown inFig. 2 may be inserted between the mold members l and I2. When usingthis form of frame member 21, the male mold member is free ofdepressions or spaces and has a plane surface. The ring, chase or framemember itself which may be formed of wood, metal or other suitablematerial, has the desired design cut in its body portion or encloses anetwork outlining the design thereby forming openings or cutout portions22 which with the walls of the mold members form compartments, intowhich the colored material is injected by the pipe lines H3. Theresulting design will be flat and not raised as in Fig. 3 and willcomprise the colored material which fills the openings and also thelacework of the frame member between said openings. The frame member,ring or chaseis a part of the finished product. The molding material isheld in position by the side walls 23 of the openings and the outerframe, ring or chase. This method is especially adaptable for formingtransparent or translucent designs or pictures, obtaining effectssimilar to stain glass windows. Bas-relief, and inlay effects may alsobe obtained by this method, and the method may also be used for opaquemoldable materials.

In Fig. 4, another modified form of supporting surface or base for thedesign is shown and comprises a combination of the base plate of Fig. 3and the base or frame of Fig. 2. In this form, the upper surface of thebase plate 24 is formed with depressions defining the desired design,which depressions with the solid portions therebetween form a sort offrame or lacework. When this base plate 24 is inserted into positionbetween the mold members as shown in Fig. 7, the male member In is freefrom depressions and the depressions in the plate with the surface ofthe male die member and the surface of the plate form the compartmentsfor receiving the molding material. In this form of mold, the pipe linesl8 extend through the male die member and the material is injected intothe compartments on the top or upper surface of the plate 24 and notthrough the plate as in Fig. 6. By this method a flat design is producedas shown in Fig. 4, the base forming part of the design.

It will be understood however that the position of the base 24 may bereversed with its imperforate surface engaging the surface of male diemember ill, in .which case the pipes l8 would extend through the femaledie member l2 instead of member In.

Fig. 5 shows a design supporting base plate similar to that shown inFig. 3 but the design is formed by forming compartments having flatceilings in one of the mold members (not shown) and pressing said memberagainst the plate. The dividing lines 25 made by the edge walls of thecompartments may be filled in with any suitable substance to bring outthe line work of the design.

I claim:

1. The method of producing an ornamental multicolored design on a plateor the like having a skeletonal network of raised walls providing amultiplicity of cavities between said walls forming the outline of adesign which consists in placing said plate between two mold memberswith the face of one of said mold members in direct contact with thenetwork of raised walls for closing the cavities at the face of theplate, said latter mold having a multiplicity of conduits therethroughwith relatively small outlets and leading one to each of said cavitiesand in injecting through said conduits into said cavities moldablematerial from a common reservoir exterior of the mold members withseparate compartments for material of different colors, permitting themoldable material in the cavities to harden, separating the mold membersto therehv directly expose the plate and ejecting the plate.

2. Apparatus of the kind described including two complementary separablemold members for receiving therebetween a base plate having cavities onone surface thereof, one of said mold members having its face at saidcavities devoid of projections outwardly beyond said face and alsohaving spaced openings leading to the space for receiving said baseplate, pipes having relatively small outlets and extending through saidopenings from a reservoir containing moldable material of differentcolors and leading to the cavi-.

ties in said base plate and terminating at said face, some of said pipesbeing connected exteriorly of the mold member for supplying moldablematerial of the same color to more than one cavity and others of saidpipes being connected exteriorly of the mold member for mixing moldablematerial of different colors and supplying said mixed material to one ormore of said cavities and means for injecting the REFERENCES CITED,moldable material through all of said pipes.

3 The method according to claim 1 wherein The following references areof record 1n the the said injecting of material of different colors fileof thls patent: into separate compartments includes simultane- UNITEDSTATES PATENTS ously branching ofi material of similar color to NumberName Date more than one cavity and dlrecting material of 4:80 371Mandigo Aug 9 1392 various colors into a single conduit for forming 1560368 Bartels -35 1925 a desired colored material before injecting same2227263 Knowles 0 intotbranch conduits leading to the respective 102:2791203 Shaw Apr: 7 1942 cam les. 2, 41,180 Burke May 6 194 EUGENE H.SCHW 2293365 Gits et a1 O 1 1942

